Hispanics Blame Rahm for Immigrant Ban

Hispanic lawmakers say an old adversary, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, has his fingerprints all over a push to prohibit illegal immigrants from buying health insurance plans in a new market for people who don't get insurance through their employers.

"A forensic study would show it all leads back to Rahm Emanuel and the White House," said Illinois Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus who worked with Emanuel when the president's top aide was in the House.

"This analysis is inaccurate," said a White House aide who had been shown the comments made by Hispanic lawmakers.

The health care bill passed by the House earlier this month would prevent illegal immigrants from getting subsidies to buy insurance, but they would be permitted to buy plans from the exchange with their own money. The Senate bill would cut off that option.

Whether or not the CHC members are pointing their frustration in the right direction, the perception that Emanuel is pushing policies that they see as harmful to their communities for the political advantage of the president or moderate Democrats in Congress could cause the White House problems with the CHC in future negotiations.

Members of the CHC trace what they say is a harder White House line on immigrants to the night of South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst during President Barack Obama's address to a joint session of Congress in September.

"There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants," Obama said. "This, too, is false -- the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally."

That prompted Wilson's now-famous interjection. CHC members say that's when the White House toughened its stance against illegal immigrants having any access to the system.

"They made it up at the White House," Gutierrez said.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) had hoped to get the House, White House and Senate on the same page on the issue before the House moved forward with its legislation, to spare moderate House Democrats from having to vote on two versions of the provision. At the time, House leaders were debating whether to include a provision like the Senate's in the House bill to help moderates avoid a tough vote on it or to side with Hispanic members by keeping the looser restriction. Van Hollen met with the CHC before the House vote -- to clarify his position -- and encouraged members to see if they could get the White House to agree to back their position.

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